The Music Court

Max Sollisch is a throwback. He is not your typical musician. His music calls back to a day when post-punk low-fi was considered “indie,” before that genre of music was dominated by expansive outlets of multi-instrumentalists singing melodic tunes about nature. Not to say there is anything bad about that. Dolfish, though, is a call-back to when there was an edge to “indie” music. So, in that way, Sollisch reminds me much of John Darnielle, an artist who I admire. Sollisch, like Darnielle, has never given up on his mid-90s low-fi roots. Though, in the mid-90s, Sollisch, like myself, was only around six years old.

Sollisch is a 23-year-old Cleveland-born musician whose debut EP, Your Love is Bummin’ Me Out, was released last December by Minneapolis-based Afternoon Records. The record received praise for encompassing the style I mentioned above. Sollisch’s use of crafty lyric and short song lengths helped establish him as an artist on the rise. And, of course, his voice did not hurt this reputation.

Today, I want to introduce you to Dolfish’s first LP, I’d Rather Disappear Than Stay the Same, which features a backing band of Iowa musicians Sollisch met upon arriving in Des Moines to record. The 12-track record will be released on Oct. 30 of this year.

“I’d Rather Disappear than Stay the Same,” is an excellent example of what I have been writing. Sollisch’s voice, which features a higher-pitched nasal inflection much like Darnielle himself, is both tender and edgy. The raw emotion that he captures with his voice elevates the lyric to new heights. Not to mention, lyrics like “send a hungry rabbit to polish off my remains” certainly do qualify as witty. The song crashes into an infectious combination of acoustic and electric that supports Sollisch’s powerful vocal.

Here is another little teaser from the album. “In My Dreams You Are The One Who Burns the Coffee,” is another short song that, despite its length, has power. As a purely acoustic song, the listener can better hear Sollisch’s voice as he effortlessly guides us through his thoughts. 

You can check out more about Sollisch and Dolfish on his Facebook.

James Apollo

James Apollo can actually say that wander is his middle name. Apollo, a singer/songwriter currently based in Colorado and New York, was born in Arkansas, but spent many of his years in Minneapolis, San Francisco, New York, Tennessee, and now, Colorado. Oh, and there is the fact that Apollo’s actual middle name is wanderly. Some people fit their name perfectly.

Apollo has embraced his travel experience and allowed it to shape his music, which likens to that of Tom Waits, Alexi Murdoch, and Joe Pisapia, with excellent lyric baked into pastoral music, worldly and candid. It is the warmth emitted from Apollo’s songs that make them so appealing – a trait that is developed through his quiet, yet noticeably perfervid voice.

On his first tour of Europe, Apollo, who was supporting Grizzly Bear, was invited to perform on BBC. This led to several more radio appearances and a Manchester television feature. His UK audience grew. In 2010, Apollo released his UK debut album Till Your Feet Bleed. His new record Little War, Little Less was released in June of this year. Let’s enjoy a mini sampling of some tunes

“For Now” is a track off of Apollo’s 2010 release. Two elements of the song stand out to me. The delicate melody is intimate. It transports the listener to a mild night somewhere under stars on the open Plains circa 1810. Okay, maybe that’s just me. Its sweet simplicity is engaging and engrossing. Apollo’s voice helps add to this feeling. The vocal demonstrates an example of an individual who understands his voice. Thus the song’s verisimilitude. The listener understands, because Apollo is able to portray his raw emotion effectively.

“Blessed Or Bust,” a track from Apollo’s recent release, is markedly different from “For Now,” but it doesn’t lose any fervor. The song begins with a sprightly piano riff followed by a crash of rhythm, filled with horns and drums. This is where the strength of the song lies. As the song progresses, Apollo’s voice is shadowed by some sprinkled harmony and what even sounds like a flute. The culmination of all instruments, vocals included, at the end of the piece fits perfectly. 

Check out more of Apollo at his website, Facebook , and Twitter

*Note: This week marks the end of the final Bands of Summer segment. I hope you enjoyed the new bands introduced on the blog. Artist profiles of new bands will still be presented on the blog once a week. Stay tuned for exciting new posts in the future. Two more maintenance items. If you are a writer who likes music, I want you…to write for the Music Court. Interested? E-mail musiccourt@gmail.com with your name and information, and tell me what is your favorite band/artist and why? Also, are you a band interested in being featured on the Music Court? E-mail musiccourt@gmail.com with some information on the band, links to audio, and pictures.

Fleeting Circus

Fleeting Circus may have an ephemeral name, but the Brazilian rock band certainly has an opportunity to be around for a while. The four-piece act has not only already taken their sounds to a literal circus – the Unicirco Rock Show which pairs music and acrobats – but also they have released their first EP,  Dream World Of Magic, which is a collection of harder traditional rock and intriguing Muse-like tracks that combine a taste of early 70s progressive rock and modern alternative.

It is best to just jump right into the music. “Life Between Two Paper Sheets” is a track off of the new EP, and its tenebrous opening leads to a Pink Floyd-like vocal symphony that follows the distortion in the background. It’s a foreboding introduction, one that latches onto the listener and forces them to keep listening. Taynã Frota’s vocals are crafty and malleable. He glides through the song with efficiency, his pipes engrossing. And then the house comes down. At around 1:35, the rest of the band (Rod Seven – Guitar, Danny Seven – Drums, Felipe Vianna – Bass) appear in full force, like a cavalry entering the pernicious underworld where the song is staged. The consistency of the instruments is precise.

“Hurricane” is immediately different from the first track. It is also almost double the length. D. Seven and Vianna set the pace, with Vianna laying down a beauty of a bass riff. The rhythm stays fresh below Frota, and R. Seven introduces a small riff. The vocal harmony around a quarter of the way into the track adds to the piece, both voices absolutely capable. The song rises, leaving Frota to carry some powerful vocals at the end, after R. Seven absolutely kills a distorted solo that is almost celestial. A great representative of a promising first release from Fleeting Circus.

Check out the band’s Facebook, Twitter, and Website